Guardian
by Emu777
Summary: We all know how the claymores in the story acted from time to time, but what about the organization's perspective? Now redone with better spelling&grammar .
1. Fated Crossroads

Story Plot Outline

This is a story that I want to create merely due to the fact that I thought that it was an interesting unexplored perspective of the show.

The names are mainly original, and the storyline somewhat follows the actually storyline. This takes place before the slasher's meet during the time where Clare meets Raki.

This is my first fan fiction so enjoy:)

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Chapter one : Fated Crossroads

Osrik was tired, "why don't people build these towns closer?" he thought as a branches scratched at his face and torso.

The sunlight filtered through the canopy lighting up the narrow path he was following, and the occasional birdsong echoed among the trees

He listened to the sounds of nature as he walked, but that did little to ease his journey as he trudged along the path through the woods to his destination.

By his calculations he had been travelling for 4 days at a near continuous non stop pace, and now had only a few hours before reaching his destination.

His breath had shortened into pants as he quickly moved through the underbrush doing his best to avoid low lying branches.

Sweat had plastered his usually spiky, light almond hair to his forehead, and his black cloak was dirty with dust and grit.

Now he would never consider himself a slouch, but even so it boggled his mind as to how his peers could do this kind of trek routinely.

This was his first time meeting the claymore he would be working with for his job from now on, and he was starting to get nervous of the meeting.

On his way there Osrik wondered what kind of personality the warrior had; he had seen various different types when he started his training in the organizations headquarters, Staff.

When he had first arrived to start his training he was utterly shocked at the horrible processes the warriors were subjected to prior to getting their swords, the brutal training they all had to undergo.

The transmogrification he had been present to however, had to be the single most horrifying thing he had ever witnessed in his life.

The tormented wails and gruesome sights on that day would haunt him forever, he suppressed a shudder when he recalled the memory.

As a result of this process and their training most warriors were rather emotionless and lacked the skill or desire for conversation.

Even so despite their somewhat twisted emotion set, they were by far the best hope for humanity against yoma thus far,…for a price.

And if their method saved lives then Osrik could at least try to cope with whatever personality that this warrior possessed.

He then returned his attention to the path and noticed what looked to be a clearing up ahead, glad to be getting out of the branchy wood.

As he passed into an open field he inhaled deeply and cast his emerald green eyes over his surroundings.

It was then that Osrik noticed the farmhouses and fields in the distance, the wheat swaying in the distance.

A warm breeze kissed his face as he walked into the field, and the sky was bright and unclouded.

As he strolled through the field he noted that many of the fields were untended, weeds choking the crops.

The dirt path he was using also looked fairly unused with no other track or prints present.

This he attributed to the change in seasons that would be occurring soon, along with the reason he was here.

Another was the notable lack of farmers, or any other travelers for that matter in all directions.

This merely confirmed what he had been told during his briefing, apparently a yoma had been terrorizing this area and devouring the inhabitants .

As he reached the end of the field he finally saw a woman who was coming towards him from the other side of the road.

When he walked closer he noticed that she was crawling across the road at a desperate pace, with a twisted ankle slowing her.

He ran over and asked of she needed some help, she looked up and looked at him with a tear streaked face and a look of fear in her eyes.

"Our house...our house was attacked by a yoma...he killed my family...I ran away while he was eating though".

Suddenly a peculiar feeling washed over Osrik, like the feeling of dread you get when witnessing an accident as it is about to occur.

Afterwards she simply collapsed on the side of the road and sobbed, exhausted from her escape, while Osrik was getting a grasp on the situation.

Just then, a figure came from the direction the woman had ran from, he quickly reached into his cloak grabbing something.

Once the figure was close enough to distinguish, a sigh escaped his lips and he allowed himself to relax a bit.

The claymore approached the two with a look of worry on her face, "are you two alright?" she asked.

Osrik was quick to answer "Yes, we're fine this woman's home was attacked by a yoma nearby...", he froze as he noticed the woman's symbol.

As one of the organization's men he recognized most of the symbols as they had been drilled in to his head during training.

The symbol this one wore was completely alien to him, the fact that only one warrior was assigned to each region deepened his suspicion.

A new wave of horror rolled over him as the realization hit,...this woman wasn't one of theirs.

He quickly reached into his cloak for his weapon, but the yoma reacted upon seeing this.

After shedding its facade, it disappeared from sight in a blink, reappearing in front of Osrik.

It rushed him and swiped at hid midsection with its claws intending to rip him in half.

Osrik barely managed to deflect the blow with his hidden weapon but he left himself open by doing so.

It then proceeded to deliver a backhand swat which knocked the man backwards many feet and on his back.

Pain exploded in Osrik's mind as he watched from the corner of his eye, while his death closed in on him .

The Yoma had bright greenish-grey skin and was about three feet taller than he was.

I had sharp pointed claw-like fingers at the end of each of its arms, and several rows of pointed teeth it now wore in a viscous leer.

As it strolled over to where he lay it started speaking, "So you managed to figure out who I was eh? Pretty good, I guess that's why you''re a black coat" it remarked.

Osrik struggled to get up, as he did so he thought of the options that were available to him, run or fight.

He decided to fight, after all he knew better than most people how fast a yoma was.

It would be fruitless to run in that case, so fighting was the only choice left to him.

He wasn't vainly thinking he could win, he knew that against a yoma he would stand little to no chance of victory,

Even so, however, he would never lie down and allow himself to be eaten alive by this thing.

He managed to prop himself back into a standing position, blood trickled down his forehead as he stood.

Now noticing the poor woman, who would most certainly be the yoma's next meal, Osrik desperately tried to think of a solution.

"Well well, gonna try and run away from me little man" the yoma stated bemused.

An idea dawned on him, if the yoma was out in its real form it must be emitting yoki(the energy they used to strengthen themselves).

And if that were true then the organization's warrior in this region might be here soon to slay the beast, after sensing its presence.

It was a long shot, Osrik thought grimly, but it would have to do for now.

He reached into his cloak and produced what appeared to be a scythe with a chain attached to it, brandishing it against the beast.

The yoma howled with laughter as it saw what he was doing "So you're going to try and kill me now puny human? Well give it your best shot".

With that it started slowly walking towards him again, a look of feral glee across its face.

When the yoma was about 5 feet away, it lunged towards him its claws extended in a forward swipe.

Osrik quickly dived to the side, but not before sustaining deep cuts to his shoulder from the yoma's claws '_Too fast'_ he thought.

The manoeuvre had cost him, but also presented him with the opportunity he had been looking for.

While the yoma had struck it had left an opening under its armpit while the arm was outstretched.

He took this opportunity to roll into a crouching position, and twirl his scythe on a chain that it was attached to in order to build up momentum.

Swinging his scythe in an in a small arc, he struck and carved a strip of flesh out of the yoma's abdomen.

" You bastard that hurt!!!" roared the yoma, obviously furious that he had been wounded at Osrik's hands.

It lashed out jumping into the air to perform an aerial attack.

Seeing this he immediately rolled to one side, noticing the large hole from the impact where he had been standing

"Not bad" the yoma admitted, "...but not good enough, human" the yoma said before grinning.

For and instant it disappeared, and immediately reappeared a foot in front of him.

Before he could move the yoma grabbed Osrik by the throat and lifted up, holding him inches from the front of its face.

The constriction to his windpipe didn't really bother him as much as the fact that it was still smiling at him.

"I hope you enjoyed that because now I'm gonna kill you and stuff my face with your guts!" the yoma spat, the veins on its head bulging.

It then held him out at arms length, his feet kicking at the ground as the yoma lifted it's other arm to deliver the deathblow.

As he pulled in vain at an attempt to loosen his opponents grip, Osrik hoped that the time he bought served a purpose.

Suddenly a flash of silver and white flickered in his red-rimmed vision, then a metallic ring echoed in the field.

He then found himself on the ground, alive and in one piece.

The yoma's claw like hand was still wrapped around his neck but was cut off at the elbow, a pool of purplish blood poured steadily from it.

Osrik looked over to the yoma, whose head now lay a short distance from his body, a look of genuine surprise etched on his face.

It was then that he noticed the figure standing by the yoma, clad in a white form fitting suit with armour at the waist and shoulders.

But what caught his eye was the massive sword she carried, half as large as he was tall and now coated with the same purplish viscous liquid.

With a fluid motion she flicked the blood from her blade, and proceeded to sheath it in the holder on her back.

Gingerly noting each instance of pain he rose to meet the new warrior.

Mindful of the yoma's ersatz claymore disguise he approached the warrior with caution, noting her symbol carefully.

She looked at him and Osrik noted for the first time her appearance, it surprised him.

She seemed far more human than he had expected and far more attractive for that matter.

She stood roughly equal in height to him, with shoulder length pale greyish blond hair covering a somewhat large forehead.

He also became aware of the look in her eyes, he felt she possessed more presence of mind than many people he knew.

He straightened and stood 4 feet away from her when he spoke his chained scythe in his hand.

He first needed to test to see if this was the actually warrior of this area, "My name is Osrik, one of the organizations men, your name and rank warrior?"

The warrior turned towards him and shot him a look that could have frozen water, paused for a moment then stated "Organization Number 6 Miria".

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Starting from the second chapter onwards I will also use these section dividers to denote changes in perspective.

I will try to update as often as possible, and any constructive reviews would greatly help

I hope you all enjoyed the piece, please R&R.


	2. Farseeker

Chapter 2: Farseeker

Miria wondered what to make of the young man who she had saved from the yoma.

He claimed to be with the organization, and knew enough to ask for her name and rank.

While he spoke to try and comfort a terrified woman, she scrutinized his appearance to check the validity of his claim.

He had a lean, somewhat wiry build with muscles that looked like they were for quick motion.

His face told her he had to be about in his late teens or really twenties, with light brown hair that stuck up at odd angles.

His skin had a lightly golden hue, and he fixated her with a pair of piercing green eye's containing a hint of curiosity.

"Organization Number 6 Miria" she replied in monotone, he seem to relax a bit upon hearing her name.

He walked over to her and offered his hand "My apologies, the last yoma used a warrior as its guise. I had to make sure you were the correct warrior stationed in the area" he replied.

She looked at his hand for a moment in silence, noting his he slowly withdrew it realization suddenly dawning on him.

"Oh right! my apologies my name is Osrik, I was sent to be your new supervisor by the organization." he stated in apology.

Miria knew the organization would be sending someone new, but this man struck her as suspicious as she looked at the weapon clutched in his hand.

Following her gaze he looked at his scythe "This is just and old item of mine, I've had it since I was young." he causally remarked tucking the weapon back in his cloak.

"Why were you fighting the yoma and why are you even here for that matter, is it to give me my next assignment?" Miria asked after a brief moment of silence.

"My my you're as smart as you look" he joked, hoping to god she took it as a complement instead of an insult.

He suddenly remembered he was bleeding and procured a cloth from his cloak and wiped his face, he then took the cloth and tired it around his wounded shoulder to staunch the blood flow.

Osrik continued "Yes I am here to give you a mission; on my way here i encountered an ersatz claymore who turned out to be the yoma. Knowing I couldn't win I decided to stall in the hopes that you would arrive in time to save the young woman and hopefully myself, I guess I was lucky that you were so quick to get here." he concluded.

Miria was surprised by the man's response, as far as she knew the organization's men didn't help anyone unless it benefited them in some way .

But apparently this one had actually risked his life so that the both of them would have a chance to survive.

"And, what is my mission?" she stated tersely, after understanding the situation.

He immediately responded "Apparently there is a group of yoma in Benalia, a port town east of here, you mission is to exterminate them while not disturbing the town with your presence. In other words this is a covert operation. Understood?", it was more of a question than an order.

"Is there any additional information on the targets" Miria inquired hoping to get more information out of the man.

Osrik relied somewhat disappointed "No, I'm afraid not, Benalia is a city of battle ,the standing army has secured the city entrances very tightly, this makes it hard for us to receive accurate information. So when do we embark?" he asked curiously.

"I understand, we'll head to Benalia...", did he just say we? Miria thought, "What do you mean we?"' she questioned, somewhat fearful of the answer.

"Whoops, didn't I mention, for this mission I've been chosen to act as your spouse to gain us access to the city" he replied as if it was something easily forgotten.

Miria was so shocked she didn't immediately "Explain" she said evenly but with a hint of anxiety in her voice.

"Well the city of Benalia doesn't allow ordinary travelers in its gates, however, they are also one of the most popular marriage spots on the continent. So if we pose as a couple who are engaged to be married they will most likely allow us to enter." he explained calmly.

He then added cheerfully "Oh and if you don't prefer me, I can see if one of the older gentlemen in the organization would be up to the task.".

Miria felt a headache coming on "No its not that, I'm just unused to working with humans" she admitted.

"Well now's as good a time to start as any, so when do we leave for Benalia?" he inquired with optimism.

"As soon as possible" was her only reply.

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It had been six days since then, and Osrik now missed the distant memory of walking through the dense woods to meet the warrior.

That harsh slog seemed like a leisurely stroll to him now, he thought bitterly as he picked up his pace.

He was now waist deep in swamp water laden with it fair share of dead flora and fauna floating on the surface, the occasional miasma of swamp gas wafting in his face.

He now understood why none of the other handlers would travel with the warriors, it was simply too trying.

Even more trying than the "exotic places" he was going, however, had to be warriors pace.

He had heard during training that it would be a difficult to match her pace, but this was insane.

First they had walked 35 miles of dense forestry, stopping ony for sleep and occasionally slowing the pace while Osrik bolted down his meals.

Afterwards they trekked across 10 miles of relatively muggy swamp with seemingly no end in sight, all topped off with an increasingly dark sky.

The sky had turned to a deep crimson-purple hue before they stopped, "We'll stop here for the day." Miria simply stated.

Osrik almost collapsed with relief, he surveyed the section of the marsh they had stopped in to find a place where they could rest

He and found an area of relatively dry marshland elevated above the muck, signaling to the warrior "We can rest here for the night." he said

She gave him no verbal acknowledgement as she walked past him to the area he had indicated.

She then proceeded to take her sword out and stuck it vertically in the ground and used it to prop herself up as she sat.

The loamy soil squelched and sucked at his boots as he walked to the site and began preparing for the night.

After had just finished setting up his sleeping site when a drop of water fell on his face followed by another on his hand.

He scowled for a moment and turned his head upwards "Can you cut me some slack up there?" he asked exasperated.

Soon the swamp was heavy with rain, luckily though Osrik had found what appeared to be a cave in the side of an eroding Cliffside.

He carefully surveyed the inside of the cave and aside from a few puddles of water, the cave was relatively dry.

Once he had moved his things inside of the cave, immediately moved to build a fire in order to stave off the cold.

After a moment he thought of the warrior sitting out in the rain, he knew she could adjust her body temperature.

Even so it bothered him, he closed his eyes for a moment reminiscing in some of his oldest memories.

A boy crying over another figure, next to a burning house in the dark of night, his tear streaked face turning to a third figure standing behind him.

Osrik opened his eyes "(sigh)...dammit" he cursed, as he got up and moved to once again adorn his cloak.

She was sitting out in the rain right where she had been before, apparently not having budged from her seat despite the downpour.

As he neared he noticed she was awake, she looked at him with the same cold stare as when they first met.

He now stood close enough so she could hear him over the din of the rain "Come on, I've found a dry spot for us to rest for the night" he called out.

A moment passed before she replied "I' am fine where I am, the rain does not bother me"

Although he knew that she was right Osrik wasn't about to look like a fool by turning back now "Look if you stay out here for too long, you'll catch a cold half-yoma or not. I'll order you to go I if have to" he quipped.

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Miria had no response; his action had caught her off guard.

Looking him in the eye she could see he would not relent, still standing in the same spot in the downpour.

His sharp green eyes locked onto hers, and challenged her gaze.

"Understood" she finally succumbed, and slowly rose from her location and pulled her weapon free of the earth.

Once inside the cave, she sat in a corner and watched Osrik sitting beside the fire from the corner of her eye.

Finally he broke the silence "Would you like to join me by the fire, I imagine sitting in a cold damp corner in wet clothes cant be comfortable"

"Is that an order?" Miria challenged, fixing him with one of her best withering glares.

After a moment the man let out a deep sigh and paused, "...do you mind if I ask you a question Miria?" he finally said

When he was sure that she would not object he continued "I...tried my best to be a good traveling companion, didn't make any demands, and always referred to you politely...so ...why do you seem to hate me so much?", he turned to her with a wounded look in his eyes.

Although what the man had said was true, she still bore too many hidden grudges against the organization to trust him.

She simply regarded him for a moment, choosing her words carefully she finally spoke "Its not that i hate you, however for reasons i cannot say I cannot bring myself to trust you."

He suddenly surprised her by giving her a warm smile tears forming in the corner of his eyes "Thank goodness...I thought for a second I had offended you in some way, I that had been the case I don't know what I would have done" he explained.

Miria was surpised by his reaction, normally the organizations men don't even flinch in most circumstances.

Yet here was an organization handler on the verge of tears, merely from the thought of offending her "Are you alright?" she asked in a level tone

"Yes thank you for telling me, forgive me, I put you in an awkward position, I must apologize for my rude behavior" replied then gave her a short bow.

He then went to work stoking the fire with one of the sticks he had collected, for a long while neither of them said a word.

Finally Mira's curiosity got the best of her "Why do you seem to care about what I think so much?" she inquired

For a moment Osrik looked into the fire, a look of somber remembrance on his face as if recalling a painful memory, he then turned towards her.

he spoke in a slow thoughtful tone "I don't mind telling you but it's a long story, alright?"

Looking at her long enough to see her nod, he continued "I guess I'll start from the beginning then."

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It was a challenge figuring out how Miria would think and react in these situations, but overall the general mood I wanted to convey was there. I hope you all enjoyed reading the chapter.

Please R&R, it helps me think of better way to improve the story and hopefully come out with more frequent updates.

Until next chapter : Burning Void


	3. Burning Void

Chapter 3: Burning Void

"Wake up wake up big brother" someone exclaimed while shaking him vigorously against his pillow.

"uhhh...Baulk...what...what time is it?" Osrik mumbled half asleep in his bed.

"It's morning, dad promised to take us to go fishing at the lake today for my birthday today. Come on, hurry or well be late." Whined his little brother.

He rubbed his eyes and looked out the window, the sun had just begun to peek over the mountains in the distance, lighting up the sky in dusty orange.

Turning back to the hopping bundle of energy beside his bed "Squirt, is dad even awake yet? It's the crack of dawn you know" pointed out Osrik.

"Uh huh he is I woke him up before I came here big brother" stated Baulk proudly as he pulled away Osrik's quilt.

_'Oh god' _he thought, their father wasn't a morning person to begin with which meant...

As if on cue, a man's booming voice bellowed from downstairs, "OSRIK GET READY TO GO, NOW!!!" shouted his father.

Groaning he pulled himself up from his comfortable bed and went to the task of putting on his travelling clothes.

After he finished he moved downstairs to find his mother had already prepared breakfast for him.

"Good morning Osrik, breakfast is ready. You had better eat it quickly or you'll be left behind" she warned.

"Okay mom" he replied with a hint of fatigue in his voice, as he began wolfing down the plate of bacon and hash his mother had prepared.

Once he had finished, he quickly got up and moved to the hall to put on his boots and knapsack.

When he went through the front door he saw his father and Baulk waiting by the front fence.

As he neared "Let's get moving, we need to reach town before nightfall" his father grunted shifting his pack.

The trip itself wasn't bad, but the pace was brutal as least for him at the time.

They were forced to march at a fast continuous pace, being yelled at by their father whenever one of them slowed down.

For him it was a grueling trip over rugged terrain, but he could only imagine how hard it was on his little brother.

As they went up a steep hill, Baulk tripped on a protruding rock and fell hard on his face.

As Osrik helped his brother to his feet, he saw Baulk had a bloody nose from the fall "Are you alr-" he began

"Hurry up you two, we don't have any time to waste!!" yelled his father cutting him off in mid-sentence.

"Will you WAIT a minute!!!" he shouted back at him, fed up with the harsh remarks they were receiving.

His father stopped talking and stared at him, somewhat shocked by his outburst

Once he saw he finally had his fathers attention he continued, "Why do we even need to go this fast?, the town is just two days at a slow walk, why do we need to rush?"

He knew something was going on when his father stroked his beard, a nervous habit he had when he was hiding something.

His father walked over to them and crouched down so he was eye level with Osrik "There have been reports of people being found dead in these very woods." .

Osrik eyes widened as he digested the information, "Bandits?" he whispered low enough so Baulk wouldn't hear.

"No" his father replied shaking his head, "Bandits would have left their guts in place, this was done by...a yoma" .

_'Yoma?', _the word was new to him but by the look on his fathers face he could tell it was serious "What is it?" he asked.

"A horrible gut-eating monster that can change its skin and rip men apart like rag dolls" replied his father with the most serious look he had ever seen.

Fear and panic started to rise up in him "Cant we just gang up on it and kill it?" he whispered.

Again his father shook his head "The yoma can blend in as one of us, so well in fact that we can't tell the difference" .

A feeling of despair rose up in him "Then how do we get rid of it? Do we just let ourselves wait for it to eat us?" on the verge of tears.

His father once again shook his head and almost smiled "No, there is a group of people who kill yoma for a fee", the village will probably just pay t them to take care of it."

A feeling of awe and relief washed over him "How do they do it?" he finally asked.

"Not now, we must hurry to town before dark" was his father's only answer, looking up at the sky and tracking the sun's position.

Now aware of the situation Osrik quickly nodded, he went back to help Baulk get ready to move again.

By the time they arrived in town the sun was just beginning to set beyond the horizon, the town was eerily quiet as no one was outside.

As they moved to find a place to stay, he noted people staring at them from inside their windows with different expressions.

The emotions all varied from fear to suspicion with each person, _'why are they looking at us like that'_ he wondered as they finally found the local inn.

The innkeeper met them with the same look Osrik had seen on some of the people in the windows, his father moved to speak with him.

"We'd like a room for the night, master." requested his father, and moving to pull out a bag of coins.

The innkeeper held out his hand, "I'm sorry sir, we don't take anyone in after dark" he said in a wary tone.

"Please you must have somewhere my children and I can stay for the night" his father pleaded.

The then innkeeper looked at Osrik for a moment, under his disinterested gaze he suddenly felt like a piece of luggage.

"I'm sorry sir, but there are no more rooms available" the innkeeper stated matter-of-factly.

He heard his father sigh, and walk back towards them "Lets go kids, we need to find somewhere else to stay".

Just as they were about to leave, a clanking noise was heard upstairs and a few moments later someone came down the stairs.

Osrik was struck by the sight of the woman coming down the stairs, her appearance standing out from the inn's surroundings.

He first thought was that she was very pretty with her blond hair and slim figure.

She wore a slim white form-fitting suit with shoulder and waist armor, and metal shoes that clanked with each step.

Another thing he noticed was the huge sword that hung from her back, it puzzled him how she could lift something that large by herself.

But the thing that really caught his attention was her eyes, they were a bright silver color that seemed to shine in the light.

He heard his father beside him whisper the word "claymore", Osrik made sure to memorize that word.

She walked up to the innkeeper, reached into her outfit and deposited a pile of gold sticks on his desk.

"I'm finished with my room, give it to them. This should be enough to cover their stay." she stated blandly, she gesturing at them.

The innkeeper looked more awake than when they had first entered, seeming to fear this woman.

He could see the master's hand shaking as he nodded at her request, accepting the pile of gold.

As the claymore started to walk towards the door when Osrik walked up to her and bowed.

"Thank you for your kindness miss, we would have been in trouble if it weren't for you." he explained.

"Don't worry about it" she replied emotionless as she walked out of the inn, not even sparing a glance in their direction.

Once she was gone everyone in the innkeeper and his father seemed to relax, regaining their wits.

"I'll get your room ready for you" said the innkeeper in an uncaring tone, and then shuffled upstairs to complete his task.

"Osrik hurry and get your things" said his father, and then went to get his own pack.

Once they got to their room, Osrik waited until Baulk was asleep to talk to his father.

He voiced the one question that had been on his mind since they entered the room, "What's a claymore?" he finally asked.

An expression he had never seen before crossed his father's face "Do you remember that talk we were having before?"

Osrik nodded remembering the talk that they had before entering town, on the hill.

His father continued "Well that group of people who kill the yoma use 'special' women to fight the yoma, we call their warriors claymores because of their swords."

Osrik was amazed that such a delicate looking woman could do something like that "Wow those people amazing"

"That's not all" his father interrupted, seeing Osrik stop to listen he began speaking again" However in order to make the women strong enough they had to 'alter them'.".

He didn't like the way his father said that last part "What do you mean altered?" he inquired.

After a long pause, his father answered "They are no longer completely human, they're ...half human, half yoma warriors.".

A dozen questions collided in Osrik's throat but only one word emerged "How?" he asked.

His father just shook his head "I don't know, another thing is that they're widely hated due to their being half yoma. We call them Silver eyed Witches due to their eyes."

Osrik spent the night thinking about how the claymore must feel, knowing that everyone hated her merely for existing.

In the morning they went to the lake, the day was sunny and the water sparked as they neared.

While their father went to get a boat for fishing, Osrik and Baulk played a game of hide and seek in the trees near the lake.

Baulk was busy hiding, while he counted to fifty against a tree before looking for him.

"Ready or not, here I come" he called when time was up, then went to go looking in the trees.

The trees were thicker than he expected as he went down a narrow path and made his way into the deeper part of the woods.

The low lying branches served to obscure his sight while the gnarled maze of roots slowed his movement.

As he walked he came up to a small opening to a gap in the trees, he heard a sound as he went into the clearing.

The branches on the other side of the clearing rustled as he got a good look at the area.

He smiled, his brother wouldn't escape him that easily, he moved across the clearing to follow the sound.

He stopped when he saw something on one of the trees, he moved close to see what it was.

The tree had huge gaping slashes across its surface, these gashes crisscrossed until they formed a sort of hole near the middle.

He wondered if someone had been practicing with their sword here, he took out his field knife to see how hard the wood was.

_'If a sword could do this much he thought'_, he stabbed the knife into the tree and only managed to get 3 millimeters of the blade in.

_'What, is it petrified?' _he wondered as he pulled out the blade, _'But then what could have caused the gashes' _he wondered'

As he was thinking of the cause, the hairs on the back of Osrik's neck stood on end a cold feeling ran over him.

It was a feeling he had experienced before and recognized,_ 'Someone was watching him'_.

He quickly turned around and looked around the clearing, and spotted something half-concealed by a large tree.

It looked distorted due to the poor lighting, but it looked large and it had a pair of amber colored eyes which were fixed on him.

He blinked to get it in better focus, and when he opened his eyes _"It's gone!"_ he thought as the shape had vanished.

A chill ran up his spine and he felt an overpowering instinct to run _'something's wrong here, I need to find Baulk and get out of here.'_.

He dared not call out to his brother, for fear it might lure that thing to him when he answered.

He quietly went back the way he came, scanning the passing woods for any sign of him brother or whatever that thing was.

Once he found the way out of the woods, he heard something rustle behind him.

Getting a better grip on his knife he whirled in place, only to come within inches of slicing his own brother.

Baulk was standing there with tear streaks down his face showing he had been crying "I..(Hic) ...got lost..(hic).where did you go big brother" he whimpered.

Osrik wasn't listening he grabbed Baulks' hand and led him back to the lake where their father was, always keeping one eye on the wood for any movement.

They found him readying a boat for their trip "Dad!!!" he called out to him

"Hey boys, did you have f..." he stopped in midsentence upon seeing Osrik's expression.

"What happened" he immediately prodded leaving the boat to speak with them.

As Osrik recounted what had happened, he saw his father's face pale at his description of the figure.

"A...yoma" his father whispered shocked, almost to himself, his body beginning to tremble.

Now it was his turn to be shocked, never having seen a yoma he didn't recognize what it was.

At first he felt excited, however, nice he recalled the talk they had that he had begun to realize the truth.

He had been staring his death in the face in that clearing without even knowing it.

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The release on this one was a bit slow, because I was finishing two chapters at once.

The whole flashback thing was a bit tricky to work out, perspective wise, but it worked out in the end.

Till the next chapter: Shattered Oath


	4. Shattered Oath

Chapter 4: Shattered Oath

They immediately went back to the town, bought supplies and head home, much to Baulks' surprise and disappointment.

As they were just about to leave, "Uh oh, I forgot my pack in the shop" Osrik suddenly remembered.

"Hurry up and get it." grunted his father, obviously eager to leave after what had happened.

Osrik ran back to the town he saw many of the townsfolk were busy with their daily business as if nothing was wrong.

As he made his way through the crowd, he heard the people in front of him gasp and move apart.

When he finally got through the line of people, he could see a familiar figure walking through the crowd.

The figures armor clanked in a precise pattern that showed the continuity of her stride.

The claymore moved in at steady oblivious to the stares and whispers of the people as she walked by.

While she got closer Osrik wondered what he should do, now knowing why the warriors were treated like pariahs.

Fear in his mind of the being in the forest and the memory of the incident at the inn both clashed in his mind.

As he mulled over the thoughts the people beside him started whispering "Tch that damn silver eyed witch is still here.", "Yeah those monsters give me the creeps.".

A feeling of anger suddenly rose up in him, 'She's protecting these people and this is the thanks she gets.' he thought.

That cinched it, once Osrik went in the middle of the crowd and approached the claymore more whispers arose.

She looked at him with her silvery gaze as he neared, no matter how many times he saw them those eyes always fascinated him.

"Hi nice to see you again, since your here I guess that thing is still on the loose. Good luck in killing it we're counting on you." Osrik said warmly as he returned her gaze.

"Either my corpse or the yoma's will show up in this town soon." she replied as he looked at him indifferently.

Suddenly felling his anger rising again he shouted "Don't say that!! You fight for us to protect us from those things, I know that you aren't _technically_ all human-"

"- but you still fight against yoma for our sake, so please don't talk like that" he blurted out in a rush.

He thought he saw surprise in her eyes for a moment before they reverted back to their emotionless state, she stood silently.

After a moment, Osrik remembered why he was here " I need to get back to my family, so I hope we can meet again someday" he said as he moved to retrieve his pack.

After finding his pack, he joined his family and they headed back home.

They made it back before nightfall, as they entered the house "Dear is that you?"

"Yeah, it's us, we're back honey" his father replied wearily from fatigue from to their trek back.

During dinner no one spoke as they were all tired and ate their meals silently.

As Osrik was getting ready for bed his mind returned to the claymore, _'I wonder how she's doing now.'._

As he curled up under his blanket, his eyes slowly began to close from the lack of energy.

Osrik woke up a little irritated, he had been sleeping fitfully when the urge to get a drink of water finally got the better of him.

Groaning as he got to his feet, his tired body telling him to go back to sleep.

He opened the door to his room and went into the hall towards the stairs to get a drink.

The house was dark but there was enough light for him to distinguish the shapes of objects.

As he walked by he noticed a small noise coming from one of the rooms where the door was slightly ajar.

The noise itself sounded like something like a twig being snapped multiple times.

_'Odd', why are his parents awake at this hour?'_ he wondered as he walked up to the door.

As he peered into the crack he saw something move in the darkness on their parent's bed.

But he still was still unable to distinguish who the figure was in the poor light.

He moved closer to the bed to get a better look when his foot bumped against something.

Looking down to see what it was, the figures outline was barely clear enough to make out in the partial darkness.

His fathers head gazed up at him with a look of shock written across his face, Osrik could only back away from the sight.

Once he had backed towards the door he fell backwards into the hall, the shape in the room immediately stopped at the sound.

Growling softly, it began to shift its bulk, slowly turning around to face him.

Two familiar large yellow orbs peered at him hungrily, and for a moment, he could only stare back at the yoma.

The next he was running down the hallway towards the stairs not looking back for fear of seeing the thing following him.

Quickly hid in the small space under the staircase, stopping quickly so as not to make any unnecessary noise.

He almost jumped when he heard the footsteps, each closer to approaching his hiding place.

Its breathing was almost audible in his ear, the sound was dwarfed though by the sound of his pounding heart

His heart skipped a beat when the yoma stepped on the stair step directly above him and stepped.

Osrik felt a surge of panic rising in him, hoping desperately that it couldn't detect him.

Sweat fell from his forehead and he willed himself to be completely silent, his body ached from being in such a cramped space

Then the sounds started again, slowly moving towards the top of the stairs before disappearing.

A long moment of silence had passed before he risked moving, slowly moving out from under the stairs.

He cautiously glanced around, checking for any signs of movement in the darkness.

Upon finding no signs of its presence, he slowly got up and slowly moved towards the door.

He almost screamed when something suddenly touched his back halfway to the door.

Then he realized that if it were the yoma it would have ripped him apart instead of touching him.

He turned to find Baulk rubbing his eyes, a tired look on his face showing he had recently woken up.

"I heard something outs-" began but was quickly quieted by Osrik.

"We're leaving Baulk, right now quietly" he ordered silently as he could, listen for any sounds.

Seeing his brothers face Baulk quickly clammed up and nodded his head slowly.

The both of them made it to the door without making a sound, now came the tricky part.

His father had designed the door to make a loud metallic sound when it was opened, apparently as a warning against intruders.

_'I guess it didn't help us here dad' _Osrik thought grimly, he now had two options.

One was to open the door and make a break for it before the yoma could catch them.

Another was to go the back door which was on the other side of the house and went by the stairs.

He opted for the former, the more time they took to escape, the sooner that thing would finish its grisly meal.

Motioning to baulk he mouthed the words "On three", this was met by a nod from his brother.

He braced his feet and prepared himself to run, getting a firm grip on the door handle.

"One...two. Three" he whispered as he pulled on the door with all his strength.

As expected the door let out a grinding metallic sound as its hinges moved.

With the door now open they ran into the forest not once looking back.

Braches whipped at him as he sprinted by, his hard breathing filled most of his hearing.

Sweat poured from his forehead to his eyes, somewhat obscuring his vision.

When they had ran for ten minutes into a small clearing, Osrik checked to see if the thing was following him.

The path was dead silent, whatever it was back in the house hadn't followed them.

Exhausted for the run he put his hands on his needs and recovered his breath for a moment.

After he had regained his wind he ventured speaking to his brother "Alright I think we're ok, now that we just have to--".

As he turned he saw his brother wasn't listening, instead he seemed to growing larger quite rapidly.

The sounds of sinew cracking filled the air, and his eyes shone a familiar yellow.

"...but how?" was all Osrik could say as the yoma finished his transformation.

It had a small head compared to the rest of its bulky body, its long clawed arms stretching down it its waist.

When it had finished, it looked at him with an amused expression, grinning widely as he stared at the boy for a moment before it answered.

Looking at him, it replied "Heh, Didn't you know we can take on the forms of people we've eaten as outer skins.--"

"--taking their thoughts and behaviors, that's why you humans are so easily fooled." it finished.

As he took in the yoma's words, he realized "But that means--" Osrik began.

It interrupted "That's right, I ate your brother insides then, by that lake, and borrowed his form that's how I found you all" if finished with a mocking laugh.

Both despair and rage vied for priority in Osrik's mind, but rage soon won out, looking around he found a gnarled branch nearby.

Grabbing the narrow end, he blindly rushed the yoma using the branch as a club.

As he neared his target, he twisted himself sideways a bit, bringing the club to his side.

The yoma merely stood grinning, no even moving from his spot as the boy approached.

At the last moment Osrik twisted his upper body, back into position, letting his momentum fuel the club's swing.

It caught his blow in one hand as if the strike had no force at all, then it proceeded to give in him a small backhand blow which sent him into a tree twenty feet away.

He slammed into the tree with his back, surges of searing pain running over his body.

It gave a small chuckle "Not bad kid, you almost scratched the skin of my palm there. But I think that's enough fun for today, I'm getting hungry again.

The yoma then clenched the fist holding the branch, causing it to explode in a small cloud of splinters.

Osrik couldn't move both form pain and fatigue as the yoma walked towards him.

_"At least I hit it once."_ Osrik thought as the pain began to numb his body, his thoughts inching closer to unconsciousness.

Once the yoma was three feet away, he thought he saw a flash of light appear near its head.

The yoma stopped in mid-step, for a moment it just stood there transfixed.

Then in a smooth motion, its head slid odd at and angle to a cut that had been made in its head.

After its body fell lifeless to the ground, he saw the claymore that was in town standing behind him.

Her long blade was now coated with its blood, and she had the same detached look on her face.

Her face was the last thing he saw as he finally lost the battle for unconsciousness.

"When I came to, was in the town's clinic being nursed back to health." intoned Osrik, still looking at the fire the whole time.

"The Warrior that saved my life had apparently paid the fees and left for another job... I didn't even get the chance the thank her" He finished.

"I see, so that's how it was" Miria answered still watching him intently, "But why go to such lengths for something that happened that long ago?" she asked.

Again a saddened look ran over his eyes, he answered slowly "The warrior who saved me died...a while back".

Miria arched an eyebrow, "Yoma?" she probed quickly"

Osrik shook his head, "No, she...hit her limit...and was executed." he said somberly

After a moment of silence, Miria spoke "Sorry, it appears as if I've made you recall some unpleasant memories.".

He looked at her a bit surprised, then turned he warmed into a smile "No need, I've come to terms with all that's happened".

"I plan on repaying the fallen warrior by helping other warriors as best I could.", he concluded, looking her straight in the eye.

"...so?", he asked sincerely "Does that answer your first question?."

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Woot Finally done both chapters, I hope all those of you reading this fan fic enjoyed the story so far I'll try and update for new adventures.

Please R&R after you read this, if only so I know this is a story so other people enjoy reading.

Until next chapter: City of the Sword


	5. City of the Sword

Chapter 5: City of the Sword

Still sitting in the corner, Miria slowly took in all the information he had given her.

By the time he had finished it was well into the night, the rain had stopped leaving the ground soggy with moisture.

Osrik was dousing the fire, preparing to go to sleep for the night.

A new question badgered at her since he had finished, eventually her curiosity got the better of her.

"Why did you tell me all this?" she started, seeing Osrik turn around she continued "You only known me for less than a week, so why tell me one of your most personal memories?"

He gave her one of the most serious looks she had seen on him since they met, a look of surprise shone in his eyes.

Finally he spoke, "Miria, when we first met I was on the verge of death. It was by your actions alone that my life was spared." he said earnestly.

He fully turned towards her and continued, "You saved my life, and for that I **_will _**repay you, no matter how long it takes. So of course I would tell you something when you asked." he stated firmly.

With that he finished by getting up and kneeling before her, "Is there anything else you would like to know before I retire for the night?" he asked politely.

"No, that will be all...I thank you for your honesty" Miria stated, feeling as if she had asked this man too much.

He nodded "Its no problem. Alright then, Make sure you get some rest, we'll arrive in Benalia tomorrow. I want you to be at your best." he said before getting ready to go to sleep.

"Good night Miria-sama." he said before finally dozing off to sleep.

While he slept, she got a chance to examine his face more closely.

Even in the partial darkness of the cave they were in, she could make out the somewhat angular shape of his head.

His hair stuck up in an unruly mess, sand colored shocks pointing in different directions.

Despite his lax demeanor, she could see his face had been somewhat weathered.

_'He has most likely been through intense training of some sort' _she noted, looking at the rippling muscles on his wiry limbs.

When she was certain she sensed nothing she slowly allowed her sleep to go into a light sleep.

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"Finally!!" Osrik exclaimed as the city of Benalia came onto view in the distance.

After the cave, they had travelled the final 20 Kilometers of rugged terrain to their destination in under half a day.

The sight of the city was a needed consolation to him as he rubbed his sore legs.

The clear road that marked the way to the city was another boon to his fatigue.

As they walked he thought of their plan to gain entry to the city in more detail.

Once they had gone roughly 4 kilometers, he held up his hand for them to stop "Okay, I think this is far enough" he said. Reaching into his pack, for something.

Miria raised an eyebrow, "Far enough for what?" she asked cautiously, while watching him search.

"Our outfits, here I brought you a nice dress" he replied with a hint of enthusiasm.

She looked at with a slight expression of shock.

Seeing her expression he quickly added, "You don't think they'll believe our story when we're dressed like this do you?" he stated obviously, pulling out a set of male garments.

He knew she could not argue the truth of his point, as most of her kind was ostracized wherever they went.

Osrik looked at her and hesitated for a moment, "So...uh..What size are you?" he asked somewhat sheepishly.

Miria arched her eyebrows, "I don't know, all the uniforms I have worn stretched to fit my size " she answered flatly.

"I see..., then I guess you'll have to try them on and see what fits" Osrik said bemused as he pulled three dresses out from his bag.

After handing them to Miria he looked around for a decent changing spot, "That looks good" he said pointing to a thicket of trees on the side of the dirt road.

"I'll go into one side of the trees and you'll change on the other, we had better hurry before they close the city gates for the day." He explained as he went to the far side of the trees.

Quickly putting on his shirt, vest, and trousers, he then moved to pull out his weapon

Hiding his scythe-like weapon into the inside thigh of his pants, he collected his things and moved to meet with Miria.

She was already on the side of the road waiting for him when he came out.

When he got closer to where she stood, he could not believe his eyes.

She was wearing a slim silk purple dress that accentuated all her curves and brought out the radiance of her face.

The dress itself looked almost too small for her, with slits running up either side about 2 feet revealing her shapely legs.

This in addition to her already attractive appearance made him see her as a goddess of beauty to him.

After a moment, he realized he was staring at her, and forced his face back into a composed expression.

"It looks really good on you." Osrik simply stated, straining to keep his voice polite while looking at her.

All that's left is for you to take one of these he indicated holding up a small brownish-red pill.

What is it she asked taking the pill from him and examining it suspiciously.

Seeing her hesitance he quickly replied "Relax, its just yoki suppressant, it will completely conceal your yoki and even make you eyes their old color again."

An amused expression appeared on his face "Do you think I would try and poison you?" he joked, "Try it and see for yourself.".

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Watching his face for any sign of doubt, Miria slowly brought the pill to her mouth and swallowed it.

Other than the strong medicinal taste and a bit of dizziness she felt the same.

"Wow...you look really beautiful" said Osrik with a look of awe on his face.

She looked at herself in a mirror he gave her, bright clear blue eyes stared back at her.

She had for gotten this part of her for so long, that her reaction to the sight of her old appearance showed on her face.

Grabbing a handful of the pills and putting them in a pouch, Osrik gave it to her.

"Take one of these every half-day or your eyes and yoki will revert back.", Osrik warned looking at her new eyes.

"Oh and one other thing", he continued "You won't be able to sense yoki while under the pills effects" he concluded

Miria's eyes widened,"What!? Then how do I sense its location!?" she demanded suddenly wishing she hadn't swallowed the pill.

Osrik answered at her calmly "When night falls, we go hunting for the yoma, but during the day we mingle with the common folk and meet our client secretly. Understood?"

While Miria knew the plan was effective, but the thought of entering the city with the yoma without being able to sense them was troubling.

"Let's get going now." Osrik said while he slipped his pack on his shoulders.

Miria said nothing as they walked towards the town, its white marble walls glowing in the midday sun.

The front gate was now in sight as they neared the end of the road, armored guards paroling the bottom of the gate and archers rimming the top.

Osrik whispered under his breath "you have received acting lessons right?" he inquired.

Hearing him she, nodded almost imperceptibly in answer to his question.

"Then I need you to act like a newly-wed woman in love ok?" he whispered, looking her in the eye.

Almost stopping from surprise, she looked at him for a moment, and then slowly nodded.

As they approached, the guards walked out to meet them; he had a bushy moustache and a pudgy red face.

As he neared they could see his sour expression, "What business do you have here?" the guard barked obviously annoyed.

Osrik stepped forward "We've come to wed in you grand city on this fine day, sir." he said with a slight bow.

The man looked at them for a moment before he answered, "There have been a lot murdering on lately, the city is closed until further notice." he stated gruffly.

_'Not surprising'_ Miria thought, '_with all the yoma eating someone had to finally notice_.'

Osrik put on a distraught look "Oh please good sir, we have travelled for many days to reach this grand city for our ceremony".

Seeing he had the guards attention, Osrik continued "My wife has had her heart set on coming here, could you please let us in for her sake sir" he pleaded.

Just then a younger guard with wavy hair and a narrow face came up to them "Come on, have a heart Greg. These poor folks came all the way here, it's not proper if we send them back at the gate." he said.

Greg shot him a glare, then looked back at them "Fine, but if these two cause any trouble you have to take responsibility Jonar" he grumbled as he wet back to his post.

"Don't mind him, he's been on edge since some of our guards were murdered a few days ago." said Jonar somewhat sadly.

His expression then brightened again "So, the both of you are getting married right?" he asked politely.

"Yes sir" Osrik replied signaled for Miria to join him, she elegantly stepped beside him with an air of grace.

Jonar let out a long whistle "A very beautiful fiancée you have there." he complemented while looking her over.

Since she was used to men despising her for all her life, Miria wondered what the other man saw that made her attractive.

Looking back Osrik the guard got a puzzled expression on his face, he finally asked what had been bothering him "Aren't you a little young to be marrying this woman...uh..."

Osrik quickly answered "My name is Osrik, and sir if I may, I've found that love isn't something that you can measure in years." he commented holding Miria's hand and smiling at her.

_'I see'_ she thought, understanding the cue Osrik had given her.

Miria, quickly picking up his act, she smiled back while gazing into his eyes lovingly.

Seeing this Jonar smiled "Alright, far be it from me to stand in your way.", he gave a quick gesture to the guards at the top of the gate.

The old wooden gates groaned for a minute then parted outwardly, revealing the innards of the city.

"Like my friend said earlier, the city is in a panic state right now. So once you enter you'll be unable to leave until the murders are resolved, got it?" The guard warned.

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"I understand, thank you for your help sir" replied Osrik turning and gallantly offering Miria his arm.

The guard waved his hand dismissively "Don't worry about it, just remember to invite me to the wedding. Welcome to Benalia you two".

After they had entered the city they spent some time looking at its layout, of course they did so discreetly.

Miria pressed against Osrik's arm, while he put his arm around her waist, to anyone on the street they appeared to be a normal young couple.

He could feel her warmth through the fabric of the cloth, _'This isn't the time to be thinking about that'_ he reminded himself, getting a firmer grip on his thoughts.

Soon they found the local marketplace, when they entered, they saw throngs of people selling every food, trinket, and exotic items imaginable.

They pretended to stop at different stalls browsing the wares and checking prices, but always slowly moved to their client's location.

"Ah there laddie, de ye wanne wee trinket far yer bonnie lass" a peddler asked as they were passing buy.

Thinking about the time they had travelled together, Osrik hadn't really gotten her anything as a present to thank her.

"Wait here for a moment" he said to Miria and walked over to the vendor's stall to check the wares.

Glancing through the items in the vendor's, his eyes fell over an amethyst pendant near the end.

The chain was mostly steel with a gold rimming along the edges of the chain links, but what caught his attention were the stones on the pendant.

Eight petal-shaped shards of amethyst crystal faced away from a topaz center, giving the picture the image of a beautiful flower.

_'Perfect, I'll give this to her as a surprise.'_ Osrik thought to himself, ""Sir I would like to buy this" he said holding up the pendant to the shopkeeper.

"Aye, good fer ye laddie, I hope yer bonnie lass luvs it." the shopkeeper exclaimed while taking his money.

Tucking the pendant safely inside his pocket he went back to meet Miria, she still stood at the exact spot he had left her.

Before she had a chance to speak, Osrik took the initiative "All done here, lets get going before we're late." he said changing the subject from his purchase.

After they left the marketplace, it was getting late, they walked straight to their clients shop without attracting attention.

Now standing at the entrance to the building, Osrik swallowed once "This is it--." he said nervously.

Staring at the large wooden sign above the door "--Zurgriks Brothel, our client is in there." he finally finished.

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Whew, another chapter done. I'm starting to add a bit of humor into the story as most of you have just read. So look forward to more funny situations, especially when Helen gets involved later on.

Again, Please R&R, and thank you for reading.

Until next chapter: The City's Reflection


	6. The City's Reflection

Chapter 6 : The City's Reflection

They knocked on the door to the building, waiting for the doorman to answer.

Miria noted the disturbed look on Osrik's face as he stood looking at the sign.

A narrow block of wood slid away near the top of the door, a pair of eyes peered down on them.

"Who are you? No one gets in without an invite." the voice behind the door rumbled, his eyes looked over to Miria "We're not buying either, take your whore somewhere else."

For a moment Miria saw a look of shock on Osrik's face, which was then replaced by a cold piercing gaze for an instant before returning to normal.

Osrik looked up at the man, "I've heard the owner of this place has a lot of _guts_" Osrik replied emphasizing the last word .

The doorman's eyes widened for an instant "Sorry for the inconvenience Sir. You are more than welcome here", he then quickly opened the bolts and allowed them entry.

As Miria strode forward, she noticed Osrik stop and take a deep breath before entering.

The erotic sounds that filtered through the walls of the rooms bothered Miria not in the least, as they walked down the corridor.

"What's wrong?" she asked seeing the uncomfortable expression written on Osrik's face.

He cast a glance in her direction "Don't you know what kind of place this is?" he asked her nervously.

"It looks like an ordinary brothel house" she replied as if it was of no significance.

"An ordinary...never mind lets just finish this quickly this place...disturbs me." replied Osrik as he sped up his pace to where the meeting point was.

They eventually made it to the end of the hallway to a large set of oak doors, A large knocker in the shape of a woman's face was on either door.

After grabbing a knocker, Osrik knocked three times, paused, then twice, then three times again and waited expectantly.

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The door swung inwards to reveal a lavished room complete with rich velvet tapestries and a wooden throne in the center.

In the wooden chair sat a man who looked as if he hadn't gotten out of it for at least 2 years.

The man was fat, to a degree that Osrik couldn't for the life of him figure out how the chair remained standing.

He had bald spots all over his scalp, and all the parts of him that were visible through the layers of fine silk were covered in a coat of sweat.

He was flanked on either side by young female attendants also dressed in silks, their dead eyes implied that they probably didn't care.

_"Slaves"_ Osrik thought grimly, noting the metal collars present on the women's necks and slave brands on their wrists.

Currently the man was decimating a plate of food, eating it so voraciously that he barely paid them any heed as they approached.

Osrik stood a fair distance away before speaking to avoid the bits of food that flew off of the plate from the man's gorging.

The man drank a glass of wine, spilling some down his chin on to his clothes and looked at him.

"Ah, so your the lad from the organization, greetings my name is Molimo Zurgriks, the proprietor of this fine establishment." the man said in a thick oily tone.

Osrik looked at his eyes to avoid staring at the bit of food around his mouth, he nodded "Yes, my name is Osrik of the organization, we've come in regards to a request you sent". he answered.

Molimo turned his beady-eyed gaze towards Miria "And who might this young lady be?" he asked staring inappropriately at her.

"She is the warrior sent by the organization to accomplish this mission." Osrik stated quickly hoping to divert Molimo's attention away from Miria.

Molimo regarded what he had said and turned his gaze back towards the warrior, appraising her like a piece of livestock.

"...A shame, a beauty such as this could do fine work on the streets. It's too bad she had to be a monster...truly a pity." he said to Osrik, as if Miria could not hear them.

For a moment Osrik fought the overwhelming urge to pull out his scythe and jam it in Molimo's face.

Even upon hearing this, though, Miria's facial expression had remained completely impassive under his gaze.

Regarding her example, he instead kept his face emotionless as he had been trained to do, "If that will be all, we will get started immediately" he said, wanting to get away from this man as quickly as possible.

"Ahh..yes, please hurry and get rid of them, they're driving away all of my customers with all the killing." he remarked waving his hand at them dismissively, as he returned to his meal.

As Osrik opened the door to leave, he heard Molimo add "Oh and if you are interested in selling off that monster I would be more than happy to strike a bargain.".

Osrik stopped and clenched his scythe with a white knuckled grip for a moment, _'Calm down! This is your first job, if you screw this up they'll send you back to the training camp.' _, warned the voice of reason in his head.

He quickly left before the owner could say something else to enrage him, almost running back down the hall.

The doorman, noticing Osrik's agitated expression quickly opened the door for them.

Once outside Osrik let out a shudder he had been holding back since laying eyes on the man.

He checked to make sure no one was on the street to hear their conversation.

He turned to Miria who had been silent the whole time, "I'm...sorry you had to hear all that" he said apologetically.

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Miria did not know how to respond to the remark.

All her time as a half human, half yoma people had called her a monster or other such names.

Very soon the jeers had no effect on her as her steeled her emotions against them.

What she wasn't used to was someone apologizing to her about something like that.

"Don't worry, the man's comments did not bother me. I've gotten used to things like that." she commented flatly.

A somewhat depressed look had crossed Osrik's face and he nodded, "It looks like we have some time before its dark enough to go to work" he pointed out.

Looking at the position of the sun as it shone overhead, he added "We should mingle a bit with the common folk here, to make ourselves less suspicious if the guards suspect anything.".

Miria cocked an eyebrow "And how do we accomplish this?" she asked wary of his answer.

Osrik looked up for a moment, then his eyes lit up "I know!! Let's go on a date together." he suddenly suggested.

Seeing her shocked expression he explained "Since were supposedly engaged people will expect that we spend time together.", he stated matter of factly.

He continued "We'll go into town and look at some of the stores together, see the sights, and finish it off with dinner. This way we not only make a good impression on the people but also get a good layout of the town. Well?".

Miria had to admit the plan did _sound _logical, but she was still a little worried about the whole date idea.

Finally seeing she had no way to get out of it, she gave in, "Understood, when do we begin?" she asked.

Hearing her words Osrik smiled "As soon as possible. Shall we?" he replied offering her his arm.

They started by going to one of the more popular local clothing stores in the village, as expected the place was full of people.

Once inside, they both started acting in their fake roles, "Do you like this one honey? I think it would look wonderful on you." said Osrik holding up an emerald colored dress for her to see.

It had a design of an orchid woven across it in gold thread, while the fabric itself looked to be fine silk.

"It looks beautiful dear. But can we afford it, replied Miria getting into the act, looking at the price as any normal woman would.

In truth, the dress although well made, would serve her little good in her line of work except maybe as a rag to use for bandages.

Osrik held up his hand "Nonsense, for you any price is right my darling." he responded warmly calling over the clerk "I would like to buy this." he decided.

The clerk answered cheerfully "Certainly sir, and would the lady like to try it on in one of our changing rooms?" .

A look of doubt crossed Osrik's face, and he hesitated to answer.

If Miria was seen while changing, the mark on her torso would be noticed.

On the other hand it might look suspicious if he flat out refused her request.

Sensing this, Miria spoke up "Yes, I would like to try it on please." she voiced in a soft elegant manner.

As she took the dress form the clerk, she and Osrik's eyes met and she gave him an almost invisible nod.

Entering the change room she hurriedly took off her clothes for fear someone might barge in.

Once she took of her dress, she gazed down at her chest for a moment at the horrendous gaping scar from the transmogrification.

Picking up her new dress, she slid on feeling the soft caress of the silk on her body.

_'I wonder if I would enjoy this if I we're a normal woman?'_ she thought, as she looked in the mirror at herself.

Satisfied with how the dress fit, she left the changing room, and went back to where Osrik waited.

He gave her a slightly surprised expression, "My dear, you look simply splendid. You simply must wear that to dinner tonight" he commented somewhat loudly.

Putting on her actors guise she responded, "If you insist dearest." she replied shyly feigning a blush.

After they had paid and left the clothing store, they went to some of the different tourist hotspots making sure they were seen.

At their last stop they went to a castle tower that was open to the public, it was already swiftly becoming dusk as the sky turned a myriad of hues.

Since it was so late, they were the only two people in the top section of the tower.

They looked out the window, admiring the view to any observer, but in actuality they were surveying the layout of the city.

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A cool breeze wafted over him as he stood by Miria in the tower.

The city was tinged with yellow in the failing light, shadows making eerie duplicates of the structures.

Reaching into his pocket, he surreptitiously cast a glance in Miria's direction .

She seemed even more like a goddess with the fading glow of the sunset illuminating the edges of her figure.

In the green dress he had gotten her, she could have passed as an ordinary noblewoman sightseeing.

Again a wave of depression his him _'If only she wasn't with the organization. She could have lived an ordinary life instead of all this.' _he thought wistfully.

Memorizing this image of her with a normal appearance, he came to a decision _'I think now is a good time...'_.

Getting a grip on something in his pocket, _'Do I just give it to her or should I wait for dinner? What if she doesn't like it?' _he wondered suddenly nervous.

"Is something wrong?", Miria's remark jarred him from his thoughts, he realized he had been staring at her intently the whole time.

He quickly averted his gaze, "Uh no nothing just..Umm.. Admiring the sunset." he stammered, caught off guard.

Miria narrowed her eyes at him a little, _'Not buying it eh?...I guess it's now or never then.'_ thought Osrik, reaching into his pocket.

He took out a small brown object wrapped in cloth, "This...is for you, as a token of thanks for saving me." he said slowly, slightly embarrassed.

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Taken aback by his suddenly offering her a gift, she hesitated a moment before taking it from him.

Looking at it suspiciously, she carefully opened the cloth wrapping.

Inside was a beautiful amethyst pendant in the shape of a flower, its gold rimming shining in the light of dusk.

The light hit the jewels on the brooch lighting up her hand in little pinpricks of reflected light.

She saw Osrik trying to gauge her reaction, "Thank you. But I have no need for this, nor do I require any repayment from you." she stated, moving to give the pendant back to him.

Osrik held out his hand to stop her, "It's not about my repaying you for a service, rather it's a way for me to express my thanks towards you" he explained.

Mira was confused at his remark, she had never received as sincere gift from anyone before.

Seeing the look on her face he continued "This pendant isn't just a gift. It's a reminder of my gratitude to you, a memory of this moment. So please accept it.".

_'I see...a reminder huh.' _she thought, then slowly she pulled back her hand and slipped the pendant around her neck.

Osrik smiled happily at her, "Well we should have a nice dinner to celebrate, I've heard of a restaurant nearby that's supposed to be excellent."

She wondered if he was happy because she accepted his gift, or because he noticed the faint smile that adorned her lips.

Once they had left the tower, Osrik led the way to a large building with a colored signed reading "The Willow: Gourmet Restaurant".

When they sat down at an outside table, a waiter came to take their orders.

After receiving their food, they ate while enjoying the sounds of the local night life.

"I had a really good time today, did you enjoy yourself?" Osrik whispered low enough so no one else would overhear.

"Whether or not I enjoyed myself is irrelevant, we still need to accomplish our mission." she stated levelly.

Osrik nodded "True, we do have a job to do here...but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't enjoy each moment of our lives as its passes by." he responded.

She frowned for a moment, "As long as the mission is performed satisfactorily all else doesn't matter." she retorted.

He suddenly looked at her seriously "One thing I've found to be an absolute truth, is the fact that nothing lasts forever. Eventually all things perish. Which is why we should enjoy the things in life whilst we can, so we have no regrets when we depart." he stated, still locking her with an intense gaze.

Seeing that he would not back down, Miria simply nodded to the statement.

Osrik's gaze softened, "Thank you for listening to what I had to say, in any case we had better eat before all this fine food is cold."

When they had finished, they were heading towards their hotel room to prepare for the mission.

Suddenly Osrik reached into his pockets quickly "I forgot my wallet back at the restaurant." he realized.

Turning around he to go back he turned to Miria "Go on ahead, I'll meet you at our hotel room." he said briefly before running down the street.

Left standing in the middle of the road, Miria started walking down the street, to their hotel.

The city had grown much darker, the stores had all closed, and the underbelly of the city was starting to show itself.

Where there had been lively tourists, there were now prostitutes going about their sordid business.

Gangs of thugs roved the playground where children had been playing.

_'It looks like the guards have their hands full'_ she concluded seeing the castle night watch picking up local prostitutes for a night of fun.

She had grown accustomed to seeing towns whose glistening outer appearance was often to hide a dark inner secret.

When she had gotten close to the hotel, she heard drunken laughter coming from the opposite direction.

She located the source of the laughter, a group of drunken men having a 'night on the town'.

The men looked at her as she approached, some regarded her with lewd stares, while others looked slightly amused.

"Well look at what we have here, must be one of Molimo's new girls." one of the men slurred as he walked up to her.

The man took a closer look at her face and whistled "The old man certainly knows how to pick'em this is one high grade whore" he snorted.

The man stood in front of her blocking her path, "Would you like to have some fun with me and my friend's missy, " he offered.

"No thank you." Miria replied curtly keeping her face polite, she moved to pass the man.

The drunk grabbed her arm with surprising dexterity "Don't be like that, we'll make it worth you while." he continued thickly.

Miria saw the crude look on the man's face, recognizing it with rising panic.

Normally one look at her true form would be enough to deter these men but this was covert op she couldn't do that.

Nor could she risk exposing herself, if she used too much of her strength to repel them.

As if sensing her predicament the man began to pull her closer to him, while she could only struggle weakly against his grasp.

"A tough one are we, well I like'em feisty miss..." he started but was cut off by a blur of movement and the sudden vice-like grasp on his arm.

Osrik stood there calmly with a warm smile on his face, a cold look in his eye, and his scythe blade to the man's neck.

He looked into the man's eyes intently as he spoke "So...what exactly might you men be doing with _my wife?_", he said in a voice low threatening tone, while still smiling.

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It took me a little while to complete this chapter due to personal stuff, I hope you all enjoyed it. I still wonder whether it's better to keep adding in their names to denote them or to just use "She/he" for the characters. You all can just tell me which you prefer.

Look forward to the next chapter : The Overmind of Shadows


	7. The Overmind of Shadows

Chapter 7: The Overmind of Shadows

Osrik held the man's arm in a firm grip while allowing him some maneuverability.

His eyes were on the man's face while his other arm held his scythe to the drunk's throat.

Everyone had various looks of surprise on their faces at his sudden arrival; even Miria wore the emotion to a degree.

The use of his special technique had given him the edge he needed but he needed to act fast to cow these fools, before his anger got the better of him.

"I guess you didn't quite hear me, I guess I'll repeat it for you. What were you doing to _my wife_?!!" he demanded twisting the man's arm as he did so.

Hearing a rustle of movement behind him he added "The next person who moves will have the honor of seeing the craftsmanship of my weapon, firsthand."

The other men stopped moving and simply stood by, not willing to be harmed simply to help their comrade.

Wincing in pain the man didn't move for fear of having his throat cut, "Y-You don't scare me, we're powerful nobles in this town. If you hurt us you'll be killed for sure."

Osrik's smile deepened, then he chuckled "True...but...That's only if one of you lives to tell the tale."

The man whimpered and looked as though he was on the verge of breaking into panic "Please sir, we meant no harm." he pleaded, fear dripping into each syllable.

"Hmm, is that so? In that case..." Osrik took the arm he had been holding and twisted it so it was behind his back, so that pulling upwards caused the man great pain.

Having effectively subdued the man he turned him back towards Miria and forced him to kneel in front of her.

"First things first, I think you owe my wife something for the trouble you've caused. Get on with it, now." he coaxed pulling on the man's arm.

Groaning in agony the man, looked up at Miria weakly "I-I'm so sorry ma'am p-please forgive me." he bawled tears running down his face.

Holding him for another moment, Osrik let go of the man's arm.

Still keeping the scythe at the man's throat, he moved between him and Miria.

"Get lost, if I see any of you again you'll wish I had killed you here" he warned seriously, all signs of warmth in his face gone.

Seeing Osrik's expression, the man quickly got up and ran in the opposite direction, his companions closely behind him.

Osrik watched them scurry into the darkness of a nearby alley, only putting away his scythe when the last was gone.

Once they were out of sight, he turned his attention to Miria "Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine" she replied in a monotone, he let out a sigh of relief at the words.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you alone." he apologized remembering earlier.

"It's only thanks to luck I arrived in time; well I'm glad you're safe." He said earnestly

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Miria was too busy trying to figure out what had happened to hear most of Osrik's words.

In the blink of an eye he had managed to get behind the man, grab his arm, and put a scythe at his throat.

Even her eyes didn't detect his movements or even sense his presence until he had appeared.

Even higher single digit warriors, couldn't get as close to her undetected.

For the first time she looked at him as more than a mere man, if indeed he was one at all.

A sudden downpour started, quickly soaking everything in the town, and somewhat obscuring her vision.

She was regretting the pills side effects, wishing she could sense to see if he was exuding yoki.

Osrik turned towards her, a look of concern in his eye "Miria is something wrong?"

"Stay back" she shouted, seeing him stop "How do I know you're really human?" she continued.

His expression was at first thunderstruck, which then turned into a study in despair.

When he finally spoke his voice was barely audible above the rain tinged with hurt "Why...would you say something like that? Did I do something wrong?"

He stood unblinking in the rain a look of betrayal in his eyes as he awaited her response.

As she had no weapon Miria simply stood a fair distance away, watching his movements.

After a moment of silence had passed, Osrik reached into his trousers for a moment.

When he pulled out his scythe, she tensed, ready to evade any incoming attacks.

There were none instead he simply tossed the weapon to her, it slid to her feet.

She quickly scooped it up, brandishing it against him, with a puzzled look on her face _'Why would he give her his weapon?'_

It was her first time seeing his weapon this closely before; the first thing she noticed was its length.

The scythe itself was razor sharp and had a short wooden handle, while a chain at its end connected it to a block of metal.

Oddly enough, the metal was fairly light weight, she found she could lift (and probably swing) the hunk of metal quite easily.

A tone grim laced his voice as Osrik spoke "It's called a Kusari Gama, it's the weapon I've been using. I'm afraid I can't give you any proof of my identity; however I don't want you to feel at risk either. If you have any doubts as to who I' am you can use it to cut me down right now."

Now it was Miria's turn to be shocked, why would any sane yoma give her a weapon to use against it.

The rational side of her mind started whirring _'Is it a ploy? Does it want me to attack so it can kill me when I get close? No, if it wanted that it could have killed us all before I saw it.' _

Finding no logical evidence against him, she checked his face for any sign of deceit.

Upon find none she allowed herself to relax "That will not be necessary. I realized you are no yoma."

A moment after she said this, Osrik's face brightened in to a smile "Thank you for trusting me, Miria."

She looked at his weapon one more time before she threw it back to him.

Snatching it out of the air with impressive dexterity he quickly put it out of sight in his trousers.

When he noticed the rain worsen he added "We really should get back to the inn, people will start to wonder what a couple is doing standing in the middle of a rainy street at night."

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Their short trip back to the inn was uneventful, as the rain pelted them in waves.

When they made it to the inn, they were both fairly drenched.

"After you my dear," Osrik replied holding the door open for her.

"Thank you darling" she replied resuming her role as they entered the building.

The innkeeper was an old woman who looked to be about in her early seventies.

Her long brittle grey hair was tied up in a bundle behind her head, while wrinkles adorned the surface of her face.

Osrik noted the sharp eyes hazel eyes behind those wrinkles; he suspected this woman was far from senile.

"Welcome" the woman in a formal yet foreboding manner

Despite the odd greeting Osrik remained cheery "Good day Madam, My name is Osrik; I believe I have a room reserved for us."

Flipping through a thin book of names, she eventually stopped "Ahh, Mr.Osrik. Here we are I was beginning to think you were going to cancel. There is a curfew in effect; you should really choose better times to...enjoy yourself." She commented looking at Miria's soaked form.

Moisture had stuck the fabric to her skin so that it hugged her body, while the water had made it somewhat transparent, giving one glimpses of what lay underneath.

Following her innuendo, Osrik felt the heat rise to his face "I understand Madam, me and my wife were merely a little… delayed during dinner, so do you have our rooms ready for us?"

"Yes, indeed. We prepared a honeymoon suit especially for you sir." she croaked with a hint of mischief in her voice.

"A honeym... I thought I had ordered a normal room for two" Osrik stated feeling more embarrassed by the minute.

The innkeeper gave him a sly grin "We had a cancellation earlier, so I thought I would give you two love birds a little _private time_ together."

Osrik recoiled at her remark,_ 'Private time'_ he thought, his face abashed. He tried to correct her on her impression of them.

However, before he could argue she added "Now, now, no need to thank me. You had better get this young girl out of those wet clothes and warm her up; otherwise she might catch a cold".

Seeing as how the woman probably wouldn't listen to him, Osrik merely nodded wearily.

Moving to pick up their luggage, he saw the innkeeper shoot him a wink.

Turning his head in the opposite direction so she wouldn't see him blush, they descended the stairs.

When they reached their room Osrik took the key the innkeeper had given him and opened the lock.

The room was large enough to accommodate two decent sized supply wagons, with a ceiling twice as tall as he was.

In the middle of the room there was a large bed clearly made for more than one person, all the other furniture also seemed to be made on a duplicate basis.

Putting their bags in a corner, he noticed a small fireplace at the foot of the bed.

'_Not bad'_ he thought as he moved to check the window, it showed a clear view of the center of town with the castle at the opposite end.

The window would be their exit as they leave the room for the job; he noted that it was dark enough to hide their presence while light enough to be able to distinguish their surroundings.

Satisfied with the room he went to Miria, who was still standing in her wet, revealing garments.

Noticing Miria shiver slightly he went to the bag and pulled out a black cloak and handed it to her "For the moment you can't regulate your temperature, dry off and wear this instead."

Once she had taken the clothes, he moved to turn on the fireplace hoping it would be enough to warm them.

Afterwards she began changing, seeing this he promptly turned around.

While he faced the wall, Miria spoke behind him "Do you mind if I ask you a something?"

"Of course, what do you want to know?" Osrik answered with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

Miria waited a moment before asking "What did you do back there when I was being attacked by those men? Even I didn't see or hear your approach until you had the man's arm."

Osrik knew she would get around to asking this sooner or later, stiffening somewhat he answered her very carefully "That's just a little...trick, I picked up when I was younger. I really don't like talking about it."

Listening carefully to his response, she regarded him seriously for a moment.

However, hearing his reluctance on the matter, she did not probe any further.

Once about an hour had passed Miria eyes returned to normal and she had begun to be able so sense yoki to an extent.

"Are you ready?" Osrik asked, seeing her get up from where she had been sitting.

Seeing her nod, he continued "We'll have to check the area's where the yoki is thickest, understood?"

Miria looked at him sharply "We?" she asked, somewhat expecting his next reply.

Of course I'm coming with you I may not be of much help during a fight but I'm sure I'll be of some help if we run into trouble with the townsfolk.

Miria knew he would not back down "Understood but it is not my responsibility to look after you, if you get left behind you are on your own." She warned.

A small grin appeared on Osrik's face "I'll be fine. This isn't my first time on a covert op."

Reaching into burlap bag, Miria pulled out a bundle of what appeared to be firewood, she then proceeded to open the bundle.

As the wooden blocks fell to the floor, only her large sword remained in her grasp.

Osrik thought collecting enough wood to cover the sword would be difficult, but with Miria's help they had not only collected enough but also cleared a path for them through the underbrush in seconds.

He moved to open the window, a light breeze wafted into the room.

'_Time to get to work,'_ he thought before they both jumped down onto the darkened streets.

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For those of you who didn't already know, I just got a new spellchecking engine + beta readers, in other words the quality of the spelling and grammar should be MUCH better than it previously was. I'll try to complete the next chapter quickly.

Until next chapter: Broken Visage


	8. Broken Visage

Chapter 8: Broken Visage

The streets were silent, as they moved to find the yoma.

Clouds obscured the light from the moon, bathing everything in an odd twilight.

With her senses still partially dulled due to the pills, Miria could barely pinpoint its location.

It didn't help that both of them were concealing their yoki, most likely now aware of her presence.

She could still faintly sense the pull of the yoki but it would be more difficult to pick out the one exuding it.

They moved over rooftops to avoid the eyes of the guards, so far the tactic had worked.

She was impressed by Osrik's stealthy movements; he had not made a sound since they left.

He moved with the silence of a bird's shadow and blended in the darkness so well she had trouble picking him out.

Another thing she noted was his speed, with dodging in and out of the buildings shadows he moved with the grace and dexterity of a cat.

As they neared the location of their first target, she held up her hand signalling their stop.

Padding up beside her, Osrik noted the location she had picked out with a raised eyebrow.

'_Zurgriks Brothel'_ the place they had started, the place was dead silent at this time.

"Wait here, I'll get us in." he ordered quietly, while his eyes checked for any movement.

Before she could say anything, Osrik had slunk down the side of the building and moved to the side of the brothel door.

Reaching into his cloak he pulled out a small knife and a piece of metal wire.

Miria moved beside him and observed as his fingers worked dexterously holding the implements.

A series of small metal clicking sounds was heard, followed by a large click.

In a few moments the door swung open, revealing the dark interior of the building.

Osrik was surprising her more by the minute; the speed of his moments had told her he had done this before.

'_Maybe he worked as a thief before he joined.'_ Miria wondered looking at him while he put away his tools.

Osrik looked at her once, and nodded silently as he got up and pulled out his scythe, its edge glinting in the dim light.

She nodded back _'Now for the hard part.'_ she thought going into the dark parlour.

The yoma most certainly knew of her proximity, but stayed stationary somewhere in the back.

This puzzled her, as most yoma would have run when she closed in on them.

Her enhanced vision allowed her to see somewhat in the darkness, as she moved to the end of the wooden hall.

She didn't hear the sound of footsteps moving behind her, but she could fell Osrik following her down the corridor still making no audible noise.

'_How does he do that?'_ she wondered while she moved forward, so engrossed in thought she didn't notice the body until her foot brushed against it.

There lay the body of the man who had met them at the door, his body ripped open and stripped of all his innards.

The face of the doorman stared up at her with a face of shock; he must have died instantly after being attacked.

Moving forward Osrik bent forward and examined the body, moving his hands over the wound and noting the size and depth.

When he had finished he moved up beside her and whispered in her ear "It had to have been around 7 feet, and it looks as though its claws can extend to impale prey. It did this recently, it couldn't have gotten far."

Looking at him look surprised, Miria wondered how he had gleaned so much information from one corpse.

As they moved to the end of the hall the smell of blood in the air became very apparent, it appeared to be coming from behind the two large doors at the end.

Getting a firmer grip on her claymore, she motioned to Osrik, who moved behind her.

After preparing herself she kicked open the door, and for another moment she observed the gruesome sight before her.

The bodies of Molimo Zurgriks, and three women lay strewn about the room in a disordered fashion

Each one bore a gaping hole showing their missing entrails, and a pool of blood that still oozed out from the wounds.

Their lack of clothing told Miria they were engaged in _personal activities_ when the yoma chose to strike.

Zurgriks looked to be the worse off, having all four of his limbs torn off after..._'No...It tore his limbs off before it killed him._' Miria noted.

She saw Osrik look at the man's corpse, with an expression bordering on satisfaction.

'_Where is it?'_ Miria wondered looking around the room, her senses told her the yoma was somewhere in this room nearby.

But thanks to the leftover effects of the pills, she couldn't pinpoint its exact location.

Slightly frustrated from this, she didn't hear Osrik's warning until it had struck.

The yoma swung with a clawed hand with long pointed fingers from behind her.

Reacting a little too late she barely managed to dodge the attack, taking a few claw swipes to her shoulder.

The attack had cut deep into her shoulder with ease, ripping into her flesh as she increased the gap between them

Blood trickled down the wound as she sized up her opponent; this yoma was a light grey and stood at around 7.1 feet.

It had slightly pointed ears, and its mouth was covered in blood.

One of the bands around its neck told her it had impersonated one of the slave women.

The yoma cackled as it licked her blood off its fingers with an expression of mirth across its face.

"Not bad, he told me a strong one was in town." it growled looking her over, clearly amused.

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Osrik could only watch as the yoma and Miria had completed their short clash.

From the looks of it the thing had managed to wound her and looked please with itself at having done so.

Looking at its physique, he noted the relative ease at which it could tear him apart.

Getting a firmer grip on his Kusari-Gama he prepared to defend himself if needed.

The beast paid him no heed, wisely focusing all its attention to the warrior.

The yoma then leaped at Miria, taking vicious swipes at the warrior, testing her defence.

Miria responded by blocking the blows with the blade of her sword.

She then moved back a bit, and then countered from a different angle.

The battle progressed in this fashion for minutes, attack, block, back up, and then counters.

At first the strategy seemed to work as she scored slashes onto its long arms.

Then all of a sudden the yoma disappeared, reappearing a moment later behind Miria.

It slashed sideways, aiming to cleave her in half with its claw.

Jumping upwards to avoid the attack, Miria didn't notice the yoma's ploy until it was too late.

Although the jump had spared her from the yoma's claws it had made her vulnerable in the air for an instant.

Grinning wickedly the yoma extended its fingers while she was in midair "Got you!" it shouted, launching its fingers like spears.

Two fingers punched into Miria's abdomen, another two in her arms, with the final piercing her forehead.

"Miria!!" Osrik shouted, horrified after seeing her skewered by the claws.

A moment later her image blurred, faded, and then disappeared altogether.

"An illusion?" the yoma exclaimed, mirroring Osrik's thoughts at that moment.

Miria reappeared directly in front of the yoma, unharmed by its assault and now close enough to attack.

She swung her sword upwards, slashing off one of its arms cleanly at two inches from its shoulder.

'_That's right, she's called Phantom Miria. I guess this is why.'_ Osrik thought as he watched Miria back away into another defensive stance.

"You bastard, I'll get you for that!" the yoma spat as he readied his remaining arm for another attack.

More cautious this time, it simply struck at her from a distance with its spear-like fingers in quick bursts.

Miria barely dodged the yoma's attacks with her phantom technique, but was unable to get close enough to it.

After each exchange her speed decreased and her illusions came slower.

Soon she resorted to blocking the fingers with her blade.

Seeing this, the yoma changed its tactics, changing its target to Osrik.

It launched its elongated fingers straight at him in an attempt to gut him.

Watching the battle from a distance, Osrik saw the yoma's attack but wasn't fast enough to block.

Moving faster than he could see, Miria moved between him and the yoma.

"Miria!" was all he could say before the fingers connected.

As he watched her get stabbed, time seemed to slow down for a moment.

She had blocked some of the fingers with her blade and the rest with her own body.

Three had been deflected by the blade one was lodged in her upper leg and the other in her upper abdomen.

Her blood flowed out of the wounds, the crimson showing in contrast to her pale skin.

"Are you alright?!" Osrik commented seeing the fingers buried in her leg and gut.

Miria swung her sword in an arc, forcing the yoma to pull its hand free.

"Well, that worked pretty well. Now let's see how well you fight" the yoma challenged.

This time the beast lunged at Miria, quickly closing the gap between them.

It struck repetitively without pause, giving her no chance to counter.

Even as he watched he could see Miria slowly grinding down from its powerful blows.

'_Why isn't she using her technique?' _Osrik wondered seeing the warrior taking the brutal assault.

The reason soon dawned on him, _she couldn't_ she had suffered too much damage and used too much yoki.

With a rush of shame he realized he was the one who had caused most of those injuries when she defended him.

As the yoma continued battering her with its attack, she slowly backed up against the stone wall in the back of the room with room to maneuver.

Watching the tide of battle slowly shift in the yoma's favor, his mind worked furiously to find a way to turn the tables.

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Miria's defence was beginning to crumble; the yoma's attacks were too powerful.

Her arms screamed at her from the amount of pressure from its blows.

Her body had taken too much damage to use illusions to escape.

Blood flowed freely from her leg and abdomen, but she had no time to regenerate.

And with it striking her continuously, she had no way to counterattack.

Weakened from her wounds, her grip on her sword began to loosen.

Sensing her weakness, the yoma batted the sword out of her hand with its claw.

It skidded across the floor before coming to a stop in a corner of the room.

The yoma laughed wickedly, "Looks like this is as far as you go." it jeered.

It then howled, raising its claw in the air to deliver the finishing blow.

It was then that Osrik struck, coming up from behind the yoma soundlessly.

Taking his scythe in one hand and the small knife in the other, he jumped from behind the yoma.

Aiming for its head, he swung both his arms inward once they were on either side of it.

He succeeded in driving the weapons deep into the yoma's eye sockets

The creature roared in surprise and agony, cursing Osrik while trying to remove him.

Clinging to the back of the yoma he yelled to Miria "HURRY AND GET YOUR SWORD!!!"

The yoma lashed out blindly, seeking to find and crush Osrik.

"DAMN YOU, ILL KILL YOU FOR THIS!!" the beast bellowed as it searched.

From the corner of his eye he saw Miria dash to retrieve her sword.

Tightening his grip on his blades, he felt the yoma's claw dig into his back.

Pain shot through his body as the claws burrowed deeper his flesh.

He saw a familiar glint of steel followed by a wet thud.

Suddenly the claws went slack, and the pressure on his back disappeared.

The yoma fell forward collapsing to the floor with a loud thud.

When he looked up he saw Miria standing in front of him, a coat of purplish blood on her blade.

Her eyes had turned golden from a sudden release of yoki, veins bulging in her arms and legs.

Her wounds had closed and her face was partially covered in blood from an injury.

"Looks like it's over, are you all right Miria?" Osrik stated, slowly getting up off of the yoma's corpse.

After a moment, Miria's eyes changed back to their normal sliver, her arms and legs then shrunk somewhat.

"I'm fine,...thank you for your help. Can you still walk with that wound?" She asked in a monotone.

"...Yeah, I should be fine, at least until we're done. And no need to thank me, just paying you back for earlier." Osrik replied, gingerly touching his back testing the extent of the injuries.

Just then a clanking of metal was heard coming from down the hall.

A small squad of soldiers entered, Osrik recognised the faces of Greg and Jonar.

For a moment they all stared at Miria with undisguised fear and awe, Greg was the first to recover.

The gruff guard walked to them, his moustached face locked in a deep scowl.

"You two are under arrest for using false identities, and for the suspected murder of Benalian Citizens" he stated, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

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This was a fun chapter to write, if only because there was some decent action. I was hoping to finish the Benalia adventure here but it looks like it will be another chapter...oh well. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, please R&R after reading as always.

Until next chapter: The Watcher


	9. The Watcher

Chapter 8: The Watcher 

Miria remained impassive as the guard entered the chamber and took in the scene.

Some glanced at the bodies but soon most their gazes stayed on her sword and eyes.

OF all the guards with fearful expressions only the guard they had met at the gate, Greg, stepped forwards apparently unfearful.

"You two are under arrest for using false identities, and for the suspected murder of Benalian Citizens" Greg stated, his hand resting on his sword hilt.

Osrik's eyes widened "Murder?! Of whom?!!" Osrik demanded, glaring at the guard appalled.

"For the murder of Molimo Zurgriks, and three women, and also for entering this city under with a false identity." Greg stated sternly glancing at Miria's blade.

"What!! You can be serious; it was the yoma that did this!!" he exclaimed gesturing at the corpse on the ground.

"Regardless of the circumstances you are both still suspects, come along quietly or we will use force if necessary" Greg warned pulling his sword an inch out of its scabbard.

Miria had expected this sort of response, and glanced around the chamber for an exit.

Apart from the door the guards came in, Zurgriks' back room was completely sealed.

She saw two ways they could do this. One would be to make a run for it knocking away the guards blocking the exit.

This would cause a massive hunt to capture them within the city, most certainly alarming the other yoma.

Or, they could allow themselves to be captured and try to negotiate their way out of the jail.

Miria saw little hope of this, seeing the nervous expressions on the soldiers faces as they looked at her.

She noticed Osrik cast Jonar, the guard who had helped them, a pleading glance.

But the guard simply put on a grim expression and slowly shook his head.

Seeing he would get no help, Osrik sighed "...fine." he stated.

He dropped his scythe on the floor in front of him, and gestured for Miria to do the same with her blade.

Reluctantly, Miria let the sword drop to the stone floor with a loud metallic clang.

A few hours later they found themselves sitting in a small prison cell.

Their trial had been set for tomorrow, so until then they had to wait.

As they waited Osrik began whispering when the guard wasn't paying attention.

"Have you recovered from your injuries?" he asked with a touch of concern in his voice.

Not wanting to alert the guard with her not so discreet voice, she simply nodded to his question.

Seeing her affirmation he continued "Good, the effects of those pills should have completely worn off by now. Are you ready to finish this job?"

Puzzled by his comment she nodded, now staring at him across the darkened room.

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Seeing Miria nod, Osrik turned to check on the position of the guard.

There was only one guard stationed in this section of the prison hall this late at night.

Currently the guard was roving back and forth across the hall and their cell entrance.

Although he could probably pick the lock with his hidden set of tools in his cloak (which they conveniently forgot to search due to worrying about Miria), the guard would most certainly walk by their cell again before he could finish.

He wasn't comfortable using this trick in front of others, but saw no other way to avoid detection.

Looking out into the hall, his eyes darted across the shadow until he found one that was sufficiently big enough.

Timing the guards pace, he waited until just after he had crossed their cell.

Immediately closing his eyes and concentrating on the form of the shadow beside him, he felt his form begin to blur.

The cold empty feeling that enveloped him informed him of his progress.

As he floated through the darkness he was blind, deaf, and mute.

Still keeping the image of the shadow in the hall in his mind, he propelled himself forward with his will.

Soon he saw a light in his mind's eye, as he kept moving towards his destination the light grew larger.

Soon he stood in front of a portal rimmed with light with a picture of the hall in its center.

Steeling himself for what he was going to do, he plunged himself through the portal.

Osrik emerged though the outer shadow, directly behind the guard.

Silently sneaking behind the guard, he picked up a loose stone on the ground.

Striking the back of the guards at a certain point, the guard collapsed with a dull thud.

Gingerly grabbing the key's to avoid any noise; he padded back towards his cell.

Miria stood watching him with a mix of shock and suspicion; he knew an explanation would be needed.

'_First thing first'_ Osrik thought, as he unlocked the door for her.

"I'll explain later, for now let's get out of here and finish this job" he whispered reading her expression.

Miria whispered as quietly as he suspected she could "I sensed the yoma in this building a few minutes after we arrived, but it was very faint."

'So it's been hiding under their noses the whole time." Osrik thought as he signalled for Miria to follow him.

After a moment she nodded and they quietly made their way out of the jail hall.

If the yoma is here we'll need our weapons Osrik thought as they neared a turn in the hall.

Raising his closed in the air, signalling for Miria to stop, he glanced around the sharp turn in the hall.

Seeing no guards he signalled for her to follow and led them up a flight of stairs to ground level.

He vaguely recalled passing something like an armoury on the way here, which would be a good place to start.

After going down three corridors, they finally came to two large iron doors.

Osrik tried to open the old doors but the weight and rust made it difficult.

He shrugged and cast a glance at Miria.

Walking up to the door, she pulled it open as if it weighed nothing at all.

'_Remind me never to get on her bad side'_ Osrik noted as they entered to armoury.

Once inside they searched through a pile of confiscated weapons and found theirs.

Now armed, they made their way towards the exit; it would be too easy for the yoma to surprise them here.

They came to what looked to be a flight of stone stairs leading upwards.

As they cleared the stairs, his stomach grew cold at the scene before him.

Half a dozen guards lay strewn across the main hall of the prison, their bodies mutilated by what looked to be brute force.

What was left of some of their battered face told him that they had been caught off guard, too late to form a defence.

"Can you sense anything nearby?" he whispered to Miria, keeping his eyes on the dark corners of the room.

She shook her head once; most likely it was hiding its yoki to get the jump on them.

Osrik's mind worked to piece together what had happened, no doubt the work of the yoma.

From the way it had killed these men outright, it most likely had no intention of hiding anymore.

'_A farewell feast eh?'_ Osrik thought with disgust, glancing at the mess of flesh and blood in front of him.

Cautiously they made their way through the bloody hall, at the far end stood their goal, the exit.

'_Finally'_ he thought, relieved to be out of the deathtrap the prison had become.

While he was enjoying this momentary relief, he didn't notice the spear until it was too late.

As he saw the flying wooden shaft two feet away from him, he knew he couldn't react fast enough.

_Clang! _The piece of wood bounced harmlessly off of Miria's claymore, which had shielded him.

"Thanks" he replied, while pulling out his scythe and getting into a defensive posture.

"Who's there?" he called looking down the corridor the spear had come from.

Greg stepped into the room with his sword in hand and a grim look on his face.

"You two are now also under arrest for the murder Benalian guards, please surrender quietly." He intoned while keeping an eye on each of them.

Feeling rage and outrage at the Greg's accusation, Osrik forced himself to stay calm.

"Sir, listen to me carefully. We-Did-Not-Do-This-The-Yoma-Did." He explained, slowly pronouncing each word hoping the guard would listen.

"Yoma, yoma, that's all you ever say. Get a new excuse because I won't fall for that trick." Greg shot back, pointing his sword at Osrik.

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As soon as Greg had finished, Jonar appeared from an adjacent hallway.

"Greg what's going on?!! Most of the guards here are dead?" Jonar exclaimed eyeing the dead bodies.

"Stay calm Greg, I've caught the suspects give me a hand here." Greg answered keeping his blade pointed at them.

Jonar moved to join Greg, but Miria noticed he didn't have his weapon.

'_Where is his sword?'_ She thought keeping her eye on the guard.

As if reading her thoughts Greg voiced her question "Jonar where's you blade?"

"I'm afraid I left it behind." Jonar replied moving closer to Greg.

"Left it behind?! Where?" Greg stated angrily without taking his eyes off of them.

"By this one's corpse!" was Jonar's only response as he sprang forward exploding into a mass of green, bulging muscles.

Being the only one who can sense yoki, Miria reacted to the sudden movement..

The yoma sailed past her and Osrik and made a beeline for Greg.

Launching herself forward, she realized she wouldn't make it in time.

Now seeing the beast, Greg brought up sword in an attempt to repel the attack.

The yoma simply smacked the blade out of his hands without breaking its stride.

With its spare clawed hand, it tore five long gashes along Greg's torso.

Crimson fluid spilled from Greg's wounds, staining his white uniform.

Miria reached the yoma before it could deliver a finishing blow, pinning both of its hands with her blade.

It had its claws blocked by her blade and vice versa, both were pushing against each other for leverage.

Her strength and the beasts were about equal, this was no ordinary yoma.

This yoma had moss green skin, with small gold eyes embedded in its eye sockets.

While its body was about average height for a yoma, it was clear this one possessed a good amount of muscle.

"He he. Not bad, but not good enough." It snarled gleefully as it twisted its hand a bit.

Miria realized what the yoma was planning, but its weight had her pinned down.

The fingertips of the claw that now faced her became sharper and elongated towards her quickly.

Miria pivoted, allowing the tips to imbed themselves in her torso instead of her head.

Pain exploded in her brain as the fingers penetrated her flesh and burrowed their way inside.

But she knew that her maneuver had made it so she couldn't dodge the second strike.

Noticing this yoma gloated "I wonder how long can you keep this up eh little miss claymore?"

Before it could deliver the deathblow, a scythed-hand appeared in the shadow under its arm.

With a moment similar to that of a whip, the scythe whipped around and sliced deep cuts into the yoma's arm.

After the movement was complete, the appendage sunk back into the yoma's underarm shadow.

"What the hell?" The yoma exclaimed, and backing away startled.

That was all that Miria needed.

Now no longer under the yoma's weight, she rotated her blade so the edge faced upwards.

Realizing its mistake, the yoma turned its attention back to her, just in time to see her blade bisect it down the middle.

Staring at the corpse for a moment she turned her attention to Osrik, he seemed to be in the exact same spot as when the yoma first attacked.

She then noticed his scythe blade, which was varnished in purple liquid.

She had seen him do this before in their prison cell but she didn't know how he did it.

Releasing some of her yoki to heal the wound, she then proceeded to sheath her blade.

Osrik started moving towards Greg, checking to see if he was alive.

The guard groaned as he opened his eyes, and looked up at them.

Seeing the blood freely following from him, Osrik tied a rag to Greg's wounds.

Clutching a hand over the rags, Greg sat up and took in the scene including the yoma corpse.

"Are you alright?" Osrik asked as if the man had been his friend.

Greg looked at him and for a moment looked as if he was deep in thought.

His face then cleared and he clenched teeth "...Get out." he said finally.

"Excuse me?" Osrik asked in a confused tone.

"I SAID, GET OUT!!! BOTH OF YOU ARE BANISHED FROM THIS CITY, FOREVER!!!" he yelled red faced, pointing at Osrik and Miria.

Miria expected a reaction out of Osrik, but instead he just nodded once and got up to leave.

"Let's go", he said walking past her to the front door of the prison.

They made a small detour to the inn to collect their things and headed to the front gate.

As they walked through the gate Benalia, Osrik turned and looked back.

He stared for a moment before turning back and continuing down the path.

"Something tells me it's going to be hard to get Zurgriks to pay now." He said with a mixture of satisfaction and annoyance.

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Sorry this chapter took so long my laptop was in the shop, I'll see if I can keep up a egualr pace from here on in thought. As always please R&R.

Until next chapter: Twin Destinies


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